Mad
at the NEA?
FROM PUBLISHING TRENDS (AUGUST 2004)
Chart-topping
Bill Clinton and David Sedaris are probably
too busy counting royalty checks to be upset with the
NEA for its recent dismissal of literary nonfiction.
But there are plenty of others in the literati who think
the “Reading at Risk” survey made a big mistake to “only
cover poetry, fiction, and drama at a time when the
whole country was completely ga-ga for nonfiction of
all kinds — memoir, history, travel, and so on,” says
Ted Genoways, editor of the Virginia Quarterly
Review.
Unintentionally hammering home the idea repeatedly expressed
in the survey — that more people are turning to the
Internet during what could be a reading hour devoted
to the classics — Genoways made that observation on
the CLMP literary magazine listserv. Astutely
taking issue with the NEA’s methodology, the obviously
well-read editor listed the books he and his family
read in 2002 that would not have been counted in the
part of the survey devoted to “literature.” His list
included Crossroads to Freedom, Masters of the Senate
and Evolution’s Workshop — clearly, all titles that
would lead to an active mind and a better engagement
in our democratic process.
When PT questioned Chairman Dana Gioia
on the NEA’s chosen methodology, he apologized to anyone
in the publishing industry he may have offended. “We
meant no disrespect to John McPhee or Andrew
Solomon. And if we had to do it again, we would
add literary nonfiction.” However, he doubted that would
add much of a positive spin to the survey results. “If
you added the literary nonfiction, it is my opinion
that it would add 5% or 7% to the numbers,” he said.
Gioia refered to the part of the survey that asked the
17,000 participants if they had read any book at all.
Only 56.6% said yes. “The total number of books being
read is going down among every region, every race, and
both genders. And that includes the Bible and diet books,”
he said. “I wish I were wrong, but I believe that most
of the people reading literary nonfiction are also reading
other types of literature.”
Finally, he said, even though the biggest drop in reading
is among young people, it is falling in every age group,
and he thinks adults need to look inward, not point
fingers. “If people want to know how to solve the problem,
they should look in the mirror.”
©2004
Publishing Trends
